Category: For Your Family

Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer and Respiratory Diseases Explored in ATS 9/11 Online Library

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

On the 10^th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) has added a page to their website entitled “The Respiratory Aftermath of 9/11.” Their online library contains information focused on the health risks rescue workers are now facing, such as mesothelioma, as well as other respiratory illnesses, from inhaling the noxious cloud of dust containing asbestos and other toxic substances.

About 400 tons of asbestos were used in the towers, and upon their collapse, asbestos and other toxic substances such as mercury and lead were released into the air putting workers at risk of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung, abdomen and heart caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Symptoms of mesothelioma typically appear 20 to 50 years after exposure, leading some researchers to report that the incidence of mesothelioma will increase in the United States over the coming decades.

The information compiled on the site explores “the various respiratory manifestations and issues arising from exposure to the World Trade Center dust as well as the pulmonary complications of the US soldiers fighting in the Middle East.”

Offering webcasts, articles, editorials and letters previously published in ATS journals, the site allows visitors to learn the results of much of the research conducted over the last ten years that have delved into the health of ground-zero workers and the nearby residents. Multiple studies report that many workers are afflicted with ongoing respiratory issues. Others assess the long-term effects of hyper-exposure to the dust.

Articles featured on the ATS 9/11 anniversary site include:

• Medical Surveillance, Diagnosis and Prevention of Post-Deployment Occupational Lung Disease
• Pulmonary Function after Exposure to the World Trade Center Collapse in the New York City Fire Department
• Editorial: The World Trade Center Collapse: A Continuing Tragedy for Lung Health?
• Persistent Hyperreactivity and Reactive Airway Dysfunction in Firefighters at the World Trade Center

This information, as well as that offered by The Lancet in their September 1, 2011, issue focusing on the short-term and long-term health consequences of the terrorist attacks, is an invaluable resource for mesothelioma advocates, physicians and the general public hoping to understand the serious lingering health effects from the 9/11 events.

The ATS states that lung-related diseases are the third-leading cause of deaths worldwide, and their goal is to advance the clinical and scientific understanding of pulmonary diseases, critical illnesses and sleep-related breathing disorders.

Cancer Survivorship Conference Gives Mesothelioma Patients and Their Families an Opportunity to Share Hope with Others

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, ranked by US News & World Report as the nation’s best hospital for cancer care, is sponsoring their annual Anderson Network Cancer Survivorship Conference on September 16-17 at the Omni Westside in Houston, TX. The conference offers attendees an opportunity to share hope and gather support and understanding from other cancer survivors. Mesothelioma and cancer patients, their families and their caregivers are all invited to attend.

The MD Anderson Cancer Center has over 30 specialists on staff that supports their multi-disciplinary approach to treating mesothelioma patients. Their ongoing research and unique initiatives dedicated to finding a cure for mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdomen, makes them one of the few cancer centers in the world with a comprehensive program. MD Anderson is also one of the leaders in focusing on personalized cancer treatment.

The National Cancer Institute defines cancer survivorship as covering “the physical, psychosocial, and economic issues of cancer, from diagnosis until the end of life.” Survivorship also focuses on the health and life of a person with cancer beyond the diagnosis and treatment phases. Survivorship includes issues related to the ability to get health care and follow-up treatment, late effects of treatment, second cancers, and quality of life. The conference offers sessions in many of these areas, and is open to anyone interested in cancer survivorship information.

This year’s conference features sessions with celebrity cancer survivors Dave Dravecky, Major League Baseball Pitcher, Barbara Padilla, First Runner-Up, America’s Got Talent, Sean Swarner, First Cancer Survivor to Climb Mt. Everest and Hans Rueffert, chef and author of “Eat Like There’s No Tomorrow.”

Conference sessions pertinent to mesothelioma patients and their caregivers include:

• Depression and Cancer: Real or Imagined?, Kathie Rickman, MD, DrPH, BSN
• Rough Road – Caregiver’s Struggle to Heal Their Own Physical and Mental Health, Guadalupe Palos, DrPH, LMSW
• Improving Outcomes with Comprehensive Lifestyle Changes, Lorenzo Cohen, PhD
• Cancer-Related Fatigue and Management Strategies, Ellen Manzullo, MD

The conference will also present some sessions in Spanish.

For more information or to register for the conference see the MD Anderson Cancer Center website.

Dignity Therapy to Improve Mesothelioma Patients’ Perception of Life

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

Mesothelioma is a unique and rare form of cancer, typically affecting the lining of the lungs, caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. Usually not diagnosed until symptoms appear, sometimes decades after exposure to asbestos, patients are left with few treatment options as the disease rapidly progresses. The treatments at this point are often palliative and are intended to control pain, stop bleeding, and relieve pressure. Now, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology, offering dignity therapy, an individualized, short-term psychotherapy, can help improve a patient’s quality of life, increase a sense of dignity and alter the way patients were seen and appreciated by their family.

In the study, investigators from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, randomly assigned dignity therapy, client-centric care or standard palliative care to 165 patients with a life expectancy of less than six months. Focusing on reduction of distress and self-reported end-of-life experiences, the researchers’ goal was to determine whether dignity therapy could mitigate distress or bolster the experience in patients nearing the end of their lives.

While no significant differences were noted in the distress levels before and after completion of the study in the three groups, self-reported spiritual well-being and lessening of sadness or depression were significantly improved in the dignity group compared to the other two groups without dignity therapy. The researchers concluded that the benefits of dignity therapy “in terms of self-reported end-of-life experiences support its clinical application for patients nearing death.”

Oftentimes, mesothelioma patients and their family turn to a hospice program when the patients no longer respond to the prescribed treatment plan, and their primary caregiver needs support caring for their loved one. Hospice is designed to improve the quality of a patient’s last days by offering comfort and dignity, and often allows the patients to remain in their own home surrounded by their loved ones. This approach can be combined with dignity therapy to further support the patient.

Further, in the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s guidelines released in January for care of patients with advanced cancer, they stated that with palliative care “patients with advanced cancer are given the opportunity to die with dignity and peace of mind.” With palliative care, the expectation is that the patient will maintain a good quality of life until the end.

The authors of the study added, “Future research exploring the beneficial effects of dignity therapy will help to unravel the psychological, spiritual, and existential complexities for an individual facing death.”

North Carolina Running Event Benefits Cancer Center for Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma Research

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

Over 3,500 runners participated in the sold-out Wachovia Tar Heel 10 Miler and 4 Mile Run in Chapel Hill, NC, on Saturday April 9, 2011 to raise money for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the N.C. Cancer Hospital. The race, touted as “North Carolina’s Premier Running Experience,” was an opportunity to provide additional research funds to Lineberger who has a mission to “reduce cancer occurrence and death in North Carolina and across the nation.” One of Lineberger’s Thoracic surgeons, Richard H. Feins, M.D., has focused areas of his research on lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma.

Pleural mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer that is almost always caused by asbestos exposure and is most commonly found in the outer lining of the lungs called the mesothelium. Many patients diagnosed 30 years or more after their initial exposure to asbestos already have advanced malignant mesothelioma when they begin to suffer symptoms of shortness of breath and chest pain. At this late stage of diagnosis, the average survival time is less than a year.

UNC Lineberger physicians move beyond treating cancer patients by conducting research into the causes of cancer and searching for new treatments. In addition, many of the medical staff are faculty members at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and collaborate with the state to develop and direct statewide programs in cancer prevention, as well as training future physicians, nurses, scientists and public health professionals.

The Thoracic Oncology Program, where patients can be treated for esophageal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, pleuropulmonary blastoma, thymoma and thymic carcinoma, offers leading-edge multidisciplinary care to their patients. Each patient benefits from personalized care with a team of specialists from pulmonary medicine, surgery, medical and radiation oncology, thoracic radiology, pathology, and oncology nursing assigned to each patient.

The thoracic oncology physicians at Lineberger include Richard Feins, MD, Thomas Egan, MD, Benjamin Haithcock, MD and Nirmal K Veeramachaneni, MD. Feins who also serves as director of the cardiothoracic simulation center at UNC-Chapel Hill, is one of fifty-nine physicians at the University of North Carolina Hospitals listed in the latest version of “America’s Top Doctors,” by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.

Feins has presented nationally and internationally, as well as publishing studies, on the results of his mesothelioma research. Some of his topics include, “Effects of photodynamic therapy on xenografts of human mesothelioma and rat mammarycarcinoma in nude mice,” and “Role of Il-6 in growth of human malignant mesothelioma.”

This is the 4^th year for the road race that continues to grow. Last year’s mesothelioma event made history with a sell-out  2,200 runners. This year’s men’s winner crossed the finish line at 52:41 with a 5:17 mile pace. The first female across the finish line clocked 1:00.06 for a 6:05 mile pace.

Lung Cancer Awareness Month Helps Raise Funds for Mesothelioma Research

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

The National Lung Cancer Partnership, with a mission to decrease deaths due to lung cancer and to help patients live longer and better through research, awareness and advocacy,” has once again declared November “Lung Cancer Awareness Month.” Since 2005 the organization has funded over $2 million in research for lung cancer projects, and with a fundraising push in November they hope to fund even more projects. Scientists searching for a cure for pleural mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer that is almost always caused by asbestos exposure, are beneficiaries of some of these research dollars.

Although ongoing research is being conducted to find new treatments and therapies for mesothelioma, keeping mesothelioma researchers funded is critical to the 3,000 Americans diagnosed with the disease each year. Mesothelioma is a rare pulmonary cancer that is highly aggressive and is resistant to many of the current cancer treatments. While there is no known cure for mesothelioma, new research and an increased knowledge among medical professionals has increased the survival time and improved the quality of life for many patients.

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the United States. Research requires significant amounts of time and money, and without appropriate funding, it can be challenging to start and complete research projects.

Raising awareness of the various causes of lung cancer, with occupational hazards such as asbestos exposure being one risk, is the primary reason for setting aside a full month dedicated to education and fundraising opportunities specifically for lung cancer. According to Regina Vidaver, Ph.D., executive director of the National Lung Cancer Partnership, “If we’re going to catch it early, treat it and give people the best chance for survival, they need to know about lung cancer and its symptoms, take measures to reduce their risk and talk with their doctor about their health history.”

Early detection of mesothelioma can positively influence a patient’s survival by increasing treatment options and improving their quality of life while battling the cancer. Once the disease has reached an advanced stage average survival is often less than one year.

The Lung Cancer Partnership offers the “Free to Breathe” series of fitness events throughout the country as a way for individuals, families, and companies to show their support.

For a list of upcoming events see Free to Breathe.